Portraits of Ukrainian LGBTQ+ military personnel showcased at Berlin Pride
For the third time, representatives of the Ukrainian LGBTQ+ took part in the Christopher Street Day demonstration in Berlin this year: they carried portraits of several dozen Ukrainian defenders who belong to the queer community.
This was written by the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany and told by Maryna Usmanova, board member of Kwitne Queer, the first Ukrainian LGBTQ+ network in Berlin, writes Ukrinform.
It is reported that the motto of this year's pride is "Together, we take a stand! Democracy needs Diversity!"
According to some reports, about half a million people took part in the pride, which ended at the Brandenburg Gate, despite the downpour.
As Oleksii Makeev, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, noted, the diplomatic mission supports Ukrainians' participation in the Berlin CSD for the second year in a row.
"Together, we are fighting not only for our country's freedom but also for every person's rights and freedoms. Especially the Ukrainian LGBTQ+ community is threatened by Russian aggression: stylized as the ultimate image of the enemy, they are among the people most persecuted by Russia.
However, they are anything but helpless. Many of them bravely fight in the army, join the territorial defense, and volunteer," the embassy's post stated.
In turn, a representative of the Ukrainian community, who herself came from Kherson, in Ukraine's south, said that in Germany, LGBTQ+ representatives do a lot to support Ukraine, particularly in collecting aid.
"We have 67 portraits of Ukrainian military personnel. Of course, LGBTQ+ military personnel could not come; they participated by sending their portraits, posters, and slogans. They are demanding the adoption of a law on partnership and a law on hate crimes," she said.
Loki von Dorn, who also represents Kwitne Queer, noted that the support of the embassy is very important for the Ukrainian LGBTQ+ community. This, according to him, increases tolerance in society. Before fleeing from his native city Dnipro, he was a journalist, actor, activist, promoter, and artist.
In addition to Kwitne Queer, several other Ukrainian organizations took part in the demonstration, including:
- Gendr Stream (a feminist human rights organization that protects the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine),
- charity organization Other (registered in 2014 in Kherson as a feminist LGBT inclusive organization),
- Resistance and others.
Berlin mayor Kai Wegner also called for protecting diversity and tolerance in society.
"Berlin is and remains a city of freedom and human rights," he said.
Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus made a welcome speech.
It is worth adding that the first CSD in West Berlin took place on June 30, 1979. "Gay Pride" — under this slogan, 450 demonstrators took to the streets of West Berlin.
The aim of CSD Berlin was, in particular, to advocate for equal rights and against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
We would like to remind you that according to the results of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), about 70.4% of surveyed Ukrainians believe that LGBT people should have the same rights as the rest of Ukrainian citizens.
In addition, the non-governmental organization Ukrainian LGBT Military opened the first Ukrainian LGBTQ+ military veteran hub in the capital.
